CVE-2021-22204: ExifTool Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 17 Nov 2021, 208 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

100%

EPSS score, percentile 100 of all scored records

How severe?

6.8 Medium

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 1 Dec 2021. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Advisories and patches (4)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• >=7.44, <12.24

Versions by product

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

What to do

CISA due date for this action: 1 December 2021.

Advisories and patches

• DSA-4910 (Vendor advisory)
• FEDORA-2021-de850ed71e (Vendor advisory)
• FEDORA-2021-e3d8833d36 (Vendor advisory)
• FEDORA-2021-88d24aa32b (Vendor advisory)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22204

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Improper neutralization of user data in the DjVu file format in Exiftool versions 7.44 and up allows arbitrary code execution when parsing the malicious image

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2021-22204 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 17 Nov 2021.
• CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 1 Dec 2021.
• The CVE record was published on 23 Apr 2021, 208 days before it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.8 (Medium), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 100% (percentile 100), as of 28 Oct 2026.
• CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact partial.

Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Description

Improper neutralization of user data in the DjVu file format in ExifTool versions 7.44 and up allows arbitrary code execution when parsing the malicious image

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

Weakness

• CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
• CWE-95

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

References

• github.com
• hackerone.com
• gitlab.com
• [oss-security] 20210509 [CVE-2021-22204] ExifTool - Arbitrary code execution in the DjVu module when parsing a malicious image
• [oss-security] 20210510 Re: [CVE-2021-22204] ExifTool - Arbitrary code execution in the DjVu module when parsing a malicious image
• packetstormsecurity.com
• [debian-lts-announce] 20210516 [SECURITY] [DLA 2663-1] libimage-exiftool-perl security update
• packetstormsecurity.com

2 more in the CVE record.